Agitprop, Part 1a
Additive and Subtractive
Editing
All writing is edited. If it was not, it could not be
constrained to fit the space available, which is always limited in some way.
The time that readers have for reading is also limited.
Usually editing means in the first place selection. Editors
pick from a very wide field a much smaller limited amount of material. The
criterion for selection may be political, or some other quality, like a special
interest of a group of readers, or a sectional appeal such as to women, or
youth.
Editing can also mean removal of excess and repetition from
a text. This is often referred to a “redaction”, related to the French word for
“editor”, which is “redacteur”.
Redaction that takes out whole passages, paragraphs and sentences is a quick
way to reduce length.
Reduction of length can be achieved by re-writing, by
sub-editors (see below).
The Communist University is a product of editing. It has
been constructed by a combined process of selection and redaction. The openings
to discussion of the short texts are equivalent to the “Editorials” in a
newspaper, which are the editor’s own voice.
Sub-editing
Sub-editing is also called (in USA English) copy-editing.
Sub-editing is the writing of articles as they are going to be printed, as
opposed to reporting, which is the gathering of stories. Reporters may sub-edit
their own material to an extent, but the sub-editor is the one who must adjust
the material to fit the space available. Sub-editors are the real writers of
newspapers. Their techniques are the best.
Length per Page
This varies widely and is affected by all other variables.
In a broadsheet newspaper page there can be thousands of words on one page. On
a booklet page there might be 500 words. On an A4 page there may be more. In a
print-magazine page with graphics and in columns, there may be 600 words.
Headlines
Headlines in newspapers and magazines are added by
sub-editors, and not by the writers of articles. Headlines need to be short, so
that they can be fat. Sub-headings, like the ones used on this page, help to
break up slabs of text and make it easier to read.
Web sites
Web sites are not limited in the way that hard-copy printed
material is limited. Hence the natural discipline of the print medium is not felt,
with the result that there is enormous length used sometimes on the Internet,
which is much less likely to be read. Hence attention to word-count is very
important when writing and editing for the Internet or e-mail.
Illustration
An illustration that would express the nature of subtraction
might be one of stone-carving, where the waste or surplus is chiselled away so
as to reduce and shape the initial block down to what is wanted.
Addition could be illustrated by an image of bricklaying, or
of “3D
Printing”.
But suitable images were hard to find, so we have used the
illustration of Additive and Subtractive colour to make the
distinction in a visual way.
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